Tim Frazier is looking to lead the Nittany Lions to victory this year. Photo by Ben Jones, StateCollege.com.

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Only a few days removed from the team's final summer workout, Penn State basketball released the nonconference schedule for the 2012-13 season which features five games against teams from within Pennsylvania boarders.

As second-year head coach Pat Chambers continues to grow the Penn State basketball brand in cities such as Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, the Nittany Lions will play an exhibition game against Philadelphia University on Nov. 3 before opening the season against Saint Francis on Nov. 9.

The Nittany Lions will then travel to Puerto Rico as part of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Tournament on Nov. 15. Penn State will open the three day tournament against NC State and will have the chance to play possibly take on Akron, UMass, UNC-Asheville, Oklahoma State, Providence, or Tennessee.

Penn State will then rekindle an old rivalry with Bucknell, playing for the first time on the road against the Bison since 1976. The Nittany Lions will host the Bison on Nov. 23 as part of a 2-for-1 deal that will see Penn State traveling to Sojka Pavilion in 2013-14 or 2014-15.

Boston College will then make the trip to Happy Valley for a rematch of last year's Big Ten ACC Challenge when the Nittany Lions won 62-54 in Chestnut Hill, Mass.

Penn State will begin a two game skid against in-state teams hosting Pennsylvania Dec. 1 before traveling to the historic Palestra to take on LaSalle on Dec. 5. The Nittany Lions' trip to Philadelphia is one Chambers hopes to take again, and talks of possible future games against regional powers like West Virginia and Villanova have already begun.

Before opening up Big Ten play, Penn State will get four straight games to polish up any last issues with a four-game home stand against Army, Delaware State, New Hampshire, and Duquesne. Penn State lost to Duquesne last season in a close match up in the Consol Energy Center, 66-59.

Penn State will be led this year by senior guard Tim Frazier, who is looking to repeat a stellar junior campaign in which he became one of the conference's most versatile players. The Nittany Lions will also add three freshman to the fold as well as transfer guard DJ Newbill, who had Chambers calling the Nittany Lions' backcourt one of the best in the nation this offseason.

Penn State will return 70 percent of its scoring, 60 percent of its rebounding and 78 percent of its assists. The Nittany Lions went 12-20 in Chambers’ first season.